Gloves

[WVBill]

I haven't seen a discussion of this important piece of safety equipment but I can attest to it's value.

About a month ago I had rented a post hole digger and was in the process of returning it, late on Saturday, by myself, tired and in a hurry. I was dragging it off the back of my pickup myself and as it came off the tail gate the boom and gear housing did a perfect nut cracker imitation on my left index finger. Fortunately, I was wearing my gloves. As it was, the x-ray showed the tip of my finger smushed out to about dime-size with about a 3/8" laceration that, fortunately did not require stitches. I'm quite sure that my glove saved my finger tip and had I not been wearing them you might be calling me "Stumpy" now.

Anyway, that was a lead-in to ask what kind of gloves people use. Mine are fairly inexpensive Wells Lamont kidskin. I find them comfortable, flexible and not too hot.

[Soundguy]

I usually us something that has leather palms and padded backs, with a gauntlet cuff, and leather fingertips.

Saved my but..err. hand many a time.

I will also occasionally wear a very tight fitting rayon? weave that has a rubber coating over the palm, and fingers. Very conforming, and leaves you 98% of your normal dexterity, whereas the larger leather gloves make me feel like I'm working inmittens.

Both have good laceration and some puncture protection.

Soundguy

[TerryinMD]

Yes, gloves are a must.

Depending on the types of work that I'm doing throughout the year, I can typically wear out two pairs of leather gloves. I prefer the Wells-Lamont leather gloves with either a pull strap or elastic gather at the wrist. Helps keep out the debris from the inside of the glove.

Many a splinter, burr, barb, or otherwise has been kept from my hands. [img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img] Not to mention, keeping the blisters from forming!! [img]/w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif[/img]

Terry

[BKColeman]

I bought two pairs of Wells Lamont washable gloves at Sam's. I have never washed them but they are the most comfortable I've ever worn. Very soft and seem to hold up as well as any other leather glove I've ever owned.

I went back to Sam's a week ago to buy more and they didn't carry them anymore. That's the problem with those warehouse places, they just up and quit carrying stuff.

These had the elastic at the wrist, I prefer that to the gauntlet, which I usually end up using as a big scoop when dealing with dirt. [img]/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

--Brad

[Mrwurm]

Interesting comments on laceration protection. A few years ago I got my hand caught in a rope that was also caught up in my moving tractor. I ended up with broken fingers and I had to have my ring finger reattched between the nail and the nuckle. I also needed to have what they refer to as "nail beds' rebuilt and lost a few finger nails. I had never thought of it before but if I had been wearing gloves I probably would have only suffered the fractures.

Jerry

[RobS]

I use leather/fabric gauntlet gloves I buy by the dozen. They seem to get trashed pretty quickly, depending on what I'm doing so I just toss them when they're shot. As someone else mentioned, they do fill up with dirt which gets pretty uncomfortable.

For those in the area, ever been to B & G glove in Schoolcraft? We call it the "junk tool store" but there good deals on gloves and tarps [img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[BB_TX]

The first thing I do before getting on my tractor is put on my gloves. I wear out 2 pair of leather gloves a year. Even if I only plan to mow part of the pasture, I know that I will most likely be fooling with the 3PT or dragging fallen branches, or something else which can hurt.

[EdKing]

I have used several different kinds of gloves. I even have a few pairs of Wells Lamont that I cut the fingers off of. Protects my palms when using tools, but leaves my fingers free for manipulating small objects. They are especially nice for roofing on a hot day, lets you lean on the hot roof and still have use of your fingers.

[GSS]

Sounds exactly like what I did when I was hooking up the PTO shaft from the tiller to the tractor. I rested the tiller end on the tiller frame and then tried to get the other end on the tractor. When I pulled it to line it up, the one end slid off the tiller and fell to the ground. I was holding the other end near the u-joint and got the end of my pinky good and smashed. Had to lift it off the ground with my other hand to get my finger out. No stiches or broken bones (unbelieveably), but it hurt pretty good for a few days. Probably will have a mangled nail grow back too. Anyway, the gloves definitely saved my finger. Probably would've chopped it right off. No special gloves here, just leather fingers and palms with little reinforcing.

- G

[centex]

I did the same trick with a PHD the first time I removed it for the tractor only I smashed three fingers and one of them was still stiff from stitches from where I smashed in a trailer hitch without gloves. I had gloves on when I smashed my hand with the PHD so I did not get any lacerations. I always try to wear gloves now. I have been buying the best all leather gloves I can find but I go through a pair or more a week so I think I will start getting the cloth ones with the leather fingers and palms. I recently tried a pair made from goat leather with padded fingers ($8 at Home Depot) but the padding was just a wadded up mess after one day and the leather still tore very quickly. I find that I quickly wear the leather out on the fingers so I mix and match gloves to get more use out of them. The $15-$20 gloves are more comfortable than the cheap gloves but I find that they don't seem to last any longer.

Years ago I went into my garage to check out a metal storage cabinet I bought on my lunch break. I had just gotten in from work an put on a pair of sandals. I am sure you can guess the rest. The doors unbeknownst me just lifted off of pin hinges and one fell off and the point of a corner landed squarely in the center of my left big toe nail. The toe nail split from side to side and bood went everywhere. The nail still give me trouble 15 years later. I now wear steel toed shoes anytime I go near tools or the garage/barn/workshop. I hate to think what a 500# tractor implement would do if it dropped on an unprotected toe.